Tsunami, volcanic eruption kill over 62 in Indonesia

Images broadcast on television showed the wave pushed a tangled mess of corrugated steel roofing, timber, rubble and flotsam inland

Sunday December 23, 2018 11:26 AM, Agencies

[A local woman walks near her damaged house hit by tsunami at Tanjung Lesung district in Pandeglang, Banten province, Indonesia (Muhammad Bagus Khoirunas/Antara Foto/Reuters)]

Jakarta: At least 62 people have been killed and hundreds injured after a tsunami followed by volcanic eruption hit both sides of Indonesia's Sunda Strait on Saturday, sending a wall of water crashing some 20 metres inland and sweeping away hundreds of homes and hotels, the government and witnesses said on Sunday.

The number of people missing has increased to 20, while more than 580 people were injured, the country's disaster management agency said today morning.

Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the wave, which hit the coast of southern Sumatra and the western tip of Java about 9.30 pm (1430 GMT) following the eruption of a volcano known as the "child" of the legendary Krakatoa, national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

Images broadcast on television showed the wave pushed a tangled mess of corrugated steel roofing, timber, rubble and flotsam inland from the coast at Carita beach, a popular day-tripping spot on the west coast of Java. Elsewhere it uprooted trees and left a trail of debris strewn across the ground, according to AFP.

Muhammad Bintang, who was at Carita beach when the wave hit, described a sudden surge of water that plunged the tourist spot into darkness. "We arrived at 9pm for our holiday and suddenly the water came -- it went dark, the electricity is off," the 15-year-old told AFP.

Scientists from Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency, also known as BMKG, said it could have been caused by undersea landslides from the eruption of Anak Krakatau, a volcanic island formed over years from the nearby Krakatau volcano. They also cited tidal waves caused by the full moon.

The worst affected area was the Pandeglang region of Banten province in Java, which encompasses the Ujung Kulon National Park and popular beaches, the disaster agency said. Of the deaths, 33 were in Pandeglang. In the city of Bandar Lampung on southern Sumatra, hundreds of residents took refuge at the governor's office.

Authorities meanwhile warned residents and tourists in coastal areas around the Sunda Strait to stay away from beaches and a high-tide warning remained in place through till December 25. "Please do not be around the beaches around the Sunda Strait. Those who have evacuated, please do not return yet," said Rahmat Triyono of BMKG.